


Press A To Kiss Me

by Bandicoot



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Additional Tags May Be Added, Almost Kiss, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Ed's playing Breath of the Wild, Ed's totally a Zelda fan, First Kiss, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Oswald's a pining thirsty idiot because he saw some lips, Pining, Post-Episode: s05e11 They Did What?, Season/Series 05, Teasing, change my mind, falling asleep, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29913834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandicoot/pseuds/Bandicoot
Summary: Edward's... playing a video game? There's a young, blond-haired man on screen, with equipment on his back, one of which Oswald believes to be wooden, and looks to be traversing through an open field, some ruins nearby, the lush green of grass and shrubbery present as nature heals to take back its home. Despite Oswald not being one for knowing almost anything about video games, he's drawn to it nonetheless.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	Press A To Kiss Me

**Author's Note:**

> There aren't many fics that involve Ed gaming, so I wrote one.
> 
> I want to thank [bri_notthecheese](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bri_notthecheese/pseuds/bri_notthecheese) for providing some ideas for this fic, which while we ended up not doing a collab for this, I still want to mention you. :)
> 
> I will try very hard to keep this as spoiler-free as possible for anyone who hasn't played BOTW yet, as I wouldn't want to spoil someone's experience. You do not need to know the game to enjoy this, but it's probably a bonus if you're familiar with it. :)
> 
> Italics = thoughts or emphasis on words during dialogue.  
> Bold = Game Text

Oswald awakens from the confines of his bed, his body neatly wrapped up in his blanket, his body also telling him that it's time to make a bathroom trip. Looking over at his clock, it reads seven minutes past two in the morning. Begrudgingly, he forces himself to move, throwing the blanket off, already annoyed as the warmth began to leave him, placing his monocle over his eye.

After a quick toilet break, he proceeds to make his way back to his room, the cold chill of the night encasing him more and more, when he hears noises. Intense orchestral music, and what sounds to be a screech of something, or someone, in pain. He listens still, and there are little jingle sound effects too.

All emitting from Edward's room.

Peculiar indeed.

Making his way to the outside of Edward's door, he quietly listens, intrigued, though wondering why Edward isn't sleeping. It doesn't sound like Edward's working on something, which is the only other reason Oswald can think of as to why Edward might be compelled to stay awake, or awaken in the middle of the night because his mind just worked like, causing the man to become agitated and restless until he put those thoughts to work.

Feeling like he wouldn't be intruding, he lightly raps on the door.

“Ed?”

Unbeknown to Oswald, the event causes Edward to jump slightly.

“Oh... come in!”

It makes a change from Edward shooing Oswald away when he's caught up in projects or ideas.

Oswald enters the room, eyes laying on Edward's form that's sitting up against his headboard, blanket covering his lower torso, and holding something in his hands.

“Good morning, Oswald,” Edward chirps, placing said object in his lap.

Oswald says nothing, his attention drawn to the television nearby that's making the noise. Edward's... playing a video game? There's a young, blond-haired man on screen, with equipment on his back, one of which Oswald believes to be wooden, and looks to be traversing through an open field, some ruins nearby, the lush green of grass and shrubbery present as nature heals to take back its home. Despite Oswald not being one for knowing almost anything about video games, he's drawn to it nonetheless.

“Why are you playing a game in the middle of the night? Usually, it's only work that keeps you awake,” Oswald half taunts, half scolds, crossing his arms and twisting his back enough to catch Edward's face. As much as Edward is transparent, he's also ever the mystery.

The slight dip in Edward's mouth doesn't go amiss, nor does the way his eyes flicker ever so lightly, some of that enthusiasm not quite there anymore.

“Couldn't sleep,” Edward says, shrugging like it's not a big deal.

Oswald doesn't question why, allowing Edward to elaborate should he want to.

He doesn't.

“Something on your mind?” Oswald digs. While he won't push, he wants Edward to know that he has someone willing to listen. A friend.

An exceptionally hard thing to find in Gotham.

“When isn't there?” Edward replies, some of that cheek coming back. Typical Edward to avoid talking about anything he's feeling, twisting Oswald's words to not only dodge said subject, but making sure to give his ego a boost.

Absolutely infuriating.

“You know what I mean,” Oswald pokes back, turning back towards the television once more. “So what game is this?” Like he would have any clue what Edward is talking about, but one has to start somewhere.

“It's the latest instalment in the Legend of Zelda series! It came out a couple of years back, but I haven't really had a chance to play it yet!” Edward chimes, his inevitable excitement showing by the curve of his mouth turning into that smile that makes Oswald's heart swell with endearment.

Such the curse to love a man that doesn't return the same sentiment...

But, Oswald's had worse days.

“We don't exactly make it easy for ourselves, do we?,” Oswald says, a sadness in his voice and smile. “To find time to indulge in such things.”

“Well... _that_ , and I was on ice just before it released.”

Oswald's taken aback from that remark, evident by the look in his eyes, like he's nine again and caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He can't tell what Edward's thinking, but there's a sharpness in those brown eyes, though the edge of a warm smile remains.

“Oh... sorry.”

Awkward.

“All in the past,” Edward shrugs, fiddling with the buttons on his controller.

Oswald's glad to hear it.

He settles his gaze towards the screen again, the only sound in the room the occasional ambiance the game plays.

“So are you going to stand there all night, or do you want to take a seat? You can stay if you want. Wouldn't have figured you'd want to stick around though.”

This is true. Oswald doesn't hold sufficient knowledge in this area, but he's intrigued. If anything, Edward has just asked him if he'd like to stay, and Oswald would be a fool to say no. Wouldn't he?

_You need to stop this..._

“If you really don't mind. Wouldn't want to get in the way,” he comments. There have been plenty of times where his presence wasn't entirely welcomed.

“Nonsense. I wouldn't have asked otherwise. Here,” Edward replies, scooting over to make room.

Oswald doesn't need to be told twice, joining Edward next to him on the bed. He goes against pulling back the blanket to get under it, feeling that would be too intimate and an overstep, preferring to just sit on the blanket instead as Edward's guest, also making sure they aren't too close together as he threads his fingers together in his lap.

Edward continues to play, Oswald watching the little guy on screen sprinting under a broken archway towards a hill, which after closer inspection, notices that they're actually stairs, much of it covered in grass now.

“So what do you do in this game? It's rather pretty looking. Peaceful,” Oswald muses.

“I don't really know yet, I haven't been playing long at all. All I know is that Link, my character, has been asleep for a hundred years,” Edward explains, making his way to his next destination.

“I'm sorry?” Oswald questions, looking up at Edward for clarification. “This guy is over _a hundred_ years old?”

“Don't worry about it.” Edward chuckles. “Trust me, that's not the strangest thing to have happened in the series.”

Oswald would argue otherwise, but Edward knows the series well enough by the sounds of it, and hell, they live in Gotham of all places. Stranger things have certainly taken place within the city walls.

“You know, I can believe that,” he relents.

“Good, because you should,” Edward replies, showing a slither of teeth in a cheeky smile.

Was that some friendly banter?

They remain in silence as Edward approaches some ruins, partially coated in green foliage. There appear to be giant relics nearby too, also victims to the harsh, inevitable flow of time, their metal skin covered in moss, their bodies partially submerged into the ground. As Edward continues his journey through the relic-littered ruins, the camera zooms in on one of the relics, taking Edward out of being able to play to watch the scene in front of him.

“What-?”

There's a shift of metal, bits of rust falling away, the glow of blue and magenta illuminating the now active, but still stationary obstacle.

“What is _that?_ ”

“You don't _know_?” Oswald jabs back in response.

Edward ignores him, watching this thing's one eye glow a light blue, its gaze locking onto him, as a singular deep piano note plays.

Danger.

“Oh dear...”

“The hell is _that_ thing, Ed?”

An intense piano soundtrack begins to play as the eye aims at him with a red dot, charging up for an attack, evident by the laser-like noise its making.

“Oh, it's _these_ things!” Edward blurts out, seemingly now remembering where he's seen these before.

“Well, kill it!” Oswald barks, waving a hand in the air.

“W-wait!” Edward flails. “No no no no no! I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do!”

“Haven't you played these games before?”

“This is _different_!”

Edward narrowly takes cover behind some debris as the metallic being shoots out its beam, causing an explosion. No longer having its sights on Edward, the threat is momentarily on hold, though continues to beep on high alert, the music also disappearing.

“Oooh boy...” Edward huffs, re-gripping his controller. “I didn't expect to see one so early in the game.”

“Ed... what the _hell_ just happened?”

Oswald doesn't really understand the ins and outs of gaming. Honestly, he thought Edward would be an expert at this, but it appears not.

“I remember these things from the trailers. I think they're supposed to be super strong,” Edward explains.

“So you're not gonna fight it?” Oswald asks, a little disappointed, eyeing the side of Edward's face.

“Of course I'm gonna fight it!” Edward boasts, the smile of an egomaniac there as he meets Oswald's gaze.

Fortune favours the bold.

Edward takes out a bow and aims for the being's eye, stunning it enough to allow him to move in and start whacking it with his various swords, clubs, and sticks. It doesn't take a lot of damage, many of Edward's weapons breaking when their durability is used up, but he alternates between his bow and melee weapons to keep the thing from attacking him.

Oswald watches the screen for a while until he sneaks a peek at Edward's face, watching with fascination to how his eyes sharpen and the sticking out of his tongue as he concentrates on the task at hand. The tongue then swipes across Edward's lips involuntarily, and all Oswald wants to do is taste.

He can't. He mustn't. He _won't._

It's such a perfect scenario though, isn't it? Lazing in bed with the love of your life, indulging in their chosen hobby, their radiating smile, the octaves of their voice, the mutual enjoyment of being in each other's company.

But Oswald's heart aches all the same for something he can never have.

That doesn't mean he can't imagine lightly grasping Edward's face to pull him down for a soft kiss. He doesn't have to stop imagining their noses brushing against one another in signs of affection, or the feel of fingers at the back of his neck, his shoulders, his waist, his... everywhere. Does he imagine lying on his back as Edward slips his tongue inside his mouth? Yes.

But he shouldn't.

He does so anyway.

Edward bites at his own lip, which absolutely does not help Oswald's cause of letting his mind wander.

“Yes!” Edward cries out victoriously, one hand squeezed tightly in a fist at his achievement.

Thankful for the distraction, Oswald follows Edward's gaze back to why he was even here in the place. A glow emits from the enemy's body, followed by an explosion.

“Oh! Well done,” Oswald congratulates, setting his mouth straight, pretending he was most definitely paying attention the whole time and not thinking about bedding The Riddler.

“Why thank you,” Edward preens, his eyes sparkling in Oswald's direction, flaunting his desire to be told how wonderful he is. How he wants _Oswald_ to think of him.

There's mostly silence as Edward makes his way to his final objective, a Sheikah Shrine, on this isolated plateau, going through its underground puzzle smoothly without any hiccups and arriving back outside in a matter of minutes, where an old man appears who Edward had met earlier before Oswald's arrival, telling him where to go.

On arrival, Edward and Oswald listen to the old man who speaks of his identity, speaks of his daughter and Link's role in all this, who's told that he was once a valiant knight, though he remembers nothing of that time or who any of these people are, who _he_ himself is.

“Must be weird not knowing who you are,” Oswald says without a second thought.

“It is...” Edward mutters.

He knows all too well.

“Oh...” Realization. “I'm sorry, Ed, I didn't mean-”

“It's fine, really. Just the whole Strange thing... well, you know the story.”

Oswald does, and if he ever sees Strange again, he'll gut him.

“Wonder where that weasel is now,” he ponders. “We could go after him, get your revenge.”

The phantom taste of blood on his lips and the sound of a knife through flesh as he imagines such a scenario. Edward need only say the word, and he'll kill.

“Maybe one day,” Edward answers. “I'd rather not think about it right now.”

There's always hope.

“Of course.”

Edward finally gets the Paraglider as promised from the old man, jumping from the old temple ruins to leave this elevated piece of land to go wherever his heart desires. The world is _vast_ , fields of trees, mountains, hills, ruins, and bridges. There's a history here. It's overwhelming, Edward not quite sure where to start, but figures that as a general rule, he'll go in the direction of the village where he's told someone can help him. He's confident he's going to get sidetracked, and he's totally fine with that. He wants to explore _everything_.

Exploration involves gathering up materials and weapons via treasure chests, enemy camps, and secrets found, as well as tackling a few Shrines. Edward also encounters a few Koroks, which Oswald, when first encountering one, asked “Is that a talking branch?”, which while offended Edward a smidge, he has to also find the humour in Oswald's naivete.

He eventually arrives at a stable, being told that if he finds a wild horse, he can register it. So he does so, now in a position to name it.

“Hmm...”

“What are you gonna name it?”

It doesn't take long for Edward to decide on the perfect name, smiling at himself.

Oswald watches the screen as Edward manoeuvres through the game's keypad.

O. S.

_Wait..._

W.

“Edward... you better _not_ ,” Oswald scolds, glaring daggers at him, Edward returning a look of self-satisfaction.

A. L.

“ _Ed_...”

D.

Oswald makes a reach for the controller, but Edward is a step ahead of him.

**OK**

**Are you sure you want to name this horse Oswald?**

“No, we _don't._ Change it, Ed. You're not naming your horse after me!” Oswald demands, squaring his shoulders, and makes for another attempt for the controller, leaning in Edward's direction.

“Doesn't feel so great, now does it?” Edward replies, enjoying this a little too much for Oswald's liking.

“I don't care. Change it, _now_.”

“Nope.”

Oswald's scrambling fingers try to grasp the offending item, his twisting body moving more and more in Edward's direction, partially leaning over his torso, who's holding the controller now well out of reach. Grumbling at the audacity of Edward's long arms, he looks up, only to now realize what position he's in.

He's face to face with Edward, a breath away from touching.

An awkward panic sours through him, frozen in place at the predicament he's in, one singular phrase going through his mind.

_Kiss him, kiss him, kiss him, kiss-_

He can't. He already said he wouldn't, because he will undoubtedly ruin everything if he tries to be romantic with Edward again. Love is about sacrifice, and Oswald has to sacrifice his dying heart for Edward's happiness. Not to mention their friendship. It's not worth it, so he withdraws, accepting defeat to this silly, petty revenge Edward has decided on, straightening himself back up against the headboard, arms crossed like a child.

“ _Fine._ Name him _Oswald._ ”

**Yes.**

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone's curious, I imagined Ed [being at this point in the game when Oswald first heard noise ](https://youtu.be/gBGzW6wJ_xo?t=2995) (gameplay footage, commentary video, and time-stamped for your convenience), and continuing from there when Ed encounters the Guardian, does the Shrine (which I decided to be Ed's final Shrine so we aren't here all day), and then going to the old man. I wanted to capture the realness of this game, so I looked at videos, as well as my own game for little details.


End file.
